The Doha-based operation is owned by the Qatar government. Its main Arabic network is the leading pan-Arab TV news station.

Al-Jazeera Arabic can be outspoken on subjects deemed as sensitive in the region, but avoids criticism of Qatar and its Gulf allies, specifically Saudi Arabia. It has faced curbs in several Arab countries where it has ruffled feathers.

Al-Jazeera English launched in 2006. Other offshoots include Al-Jazeera Balkans, based in Bosnia, and US-based Al-Jazeera America.

Al-Jazeera Network has more than 70 bureaux worldwide and employs around 3,000 staff.

Domestic audiences are catered for by state-run TV and radio. The large expatriate population has access to media from their various home countries.

Qatar has daily newspapers in Arabic and English. The main titles have links to the ruling family and there is little or no critical reporting of domestic or foreign policy affairs.

BBC World Service radio in Arabic, Radio France Internationale, France's Arabic-language radio service Monte Carlo Doualiya, UAE-based MBC and Radio Sawa from the US are available on FM in Doha.

Qatar has advanced internet infrastructure and is widely connected to the web. There were 2.2 million internet users by 2014 (Internetlivestats.com).